Brilliant student Keisuke Otori attends an academy with a strict policy against romance. One day, he meets a high school girl named Hanako Takada.

Otori's date with Hanako doesn’t go as well as he planned. Meanwhile, the school disciplinary committee attempts to catch Otori breaking the rules.

Otori attends a grueling study camp at his school, but he can't get Hanako out of his mind. He notices that his classmate Shishimaru seems anxious.

Otori asks Hanako about the boy he saw her with and learns a devastating truth. Later, he receives a remarkably terrible grade on his midterm exam.

In the struggle over Hanako, Kujirai challenges Otori to a judo match. Otori's friends beg Toramatsu — whose family runs a dojo — to train him.

After the principal orders a crackdown on romantic thought, a band of freedom-minded students rises up in revolt and brings Otori back to its base.

Having arrived at Kaimei Academy, Hanako has some harsh words for Otori. Later, at a general student meeting, Otori makes a surprising statement.

After his name is erased from Kaimei Academy's records, a despondent Otori has an unexpected encounter. The school prepares for its cultural festival.